A-maze-ingly Kitsap Week
fun
Community
Sports
Guide to fall fun and activities for Halloween
He’s got your back: 20 years as reserve police officer
Inside today
Page A5
SK soccer team still in first place despite first loss
INDEPENDENT PORT ORCHARD
Page A11
FRIDAY, October 7, 2011 ■ Vol. 120, No. 40 ■ www.portorchardindependent.com ■ 50¢
4A Narrows Big banks’ fees, small banks’ opportunity? B of A decision to charge for debit card use League may prompt customers to bank elsewhere might not continue By KAITLIN STROHSCHEIN Staff Writer
Local banks and credit unions expect to see a slight increase in membership as large national banks such as Bank of America start charging customers fees for using their debit
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR Sports Editor
South Kitsap’s union with the Narrows dates back to 1980 when it became one of the league’s charter members. But there is a possibility that relationship could end after this school year. Based on a Sept. 22 meeting that encompassed realignment, South athletic director Ed Santos expressed concern that there will be enough schools to have a Class 4A Narrows League in 2012. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the state’s governing body for high school sports, calculates classifications by percentages every two years to avoid imbalances. For example, schools with the top 16-17 percent enrollment, such as South, are recognized as 4A. Schools have the option to “opt up” to classifications with larger enrollments. The 4A Narrows division has featured eight teams during the last two school years — Bellarmine Prep, Central Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Mount Tahoma, Olympia, Shelton, South and Stadium. But Santos said only South SEE LEAGUE, A2
cards. “We definitely see this as a positive for credit unions, because when the consumer does a comparison, I think they’ll see that there’s a great value in working with a credit union,” said Leah Olson, vice president of marketing for Kitsap Credit Union. “We don’t
have the number of fees that other financial institutions have.” Bank of America plans to impose a $5 per month fee for debit card use, to counteract the effect of new federal regulations that limit how much banks can charge retailers for each debit card swipe to make a purchase. Other major banks such as Wells Fargo and Chase are also planning or experimenting with monthly debit card fees.
Opinion Robert Meadows Letters Thinking Allowed Scene & Heard Sports Calendar
Tim Kelly/Staff photo
No argument here: Port should bring jobs Vote 2011
Editor
A6 A6 A7 A7 A9 A10-11 A13-14
SEE BANK FEES, A2
A new feature — Where in South Kitsap? — makes its debut today. We’ll post a photo on portorchardindependent.com each Monday (except for the first one on today’s front page), and during the week readers will have a chance to recognize and identify the South Kitsap scene in the picture, letting us know by email or by posting an online comment. It may be a scene familiar to some but new to others, but it will be something visible to anyone traveling around the area. The mystery will be solved in Friday’s paper, which will have a story providing context for the week’s photo. So, take a look at this critter, and ask yourself: Where in South Kitsap?
WHERE IN SOUTH KITSAP?
By TIM KELLY
Index
“Customers tell us that while $5 may not seem like a lot, it actually can be, when added to the other associated fees on many of these accounts — especially during these tough economic times,” Kitsap Bank vice president of marketing Shannon Childs said. “Kitsap Bank has welcomed a number of new customers due to the migration away from the big banks
What really separates the two candidates for Port of Bremerton commissioner? Axel Strakeljahn says he’s “frustrated” with media accounts portraying him and Shawn Cucciardi as practically interchangeable candidates. It’s true they both tout their backgrounds as businessmen who have a lot of employees on their payrolls.
Port of Bremerton commissioner Strakeljahn is general manager of the Fred Meyer store, one of the largest retailers in South Kitsap; while Cucciardi is part-owner and manager of the McCormick Woods golf course and restaurant. As for the mission of the port dis-
Cucciardi
Strakeljahn
trict, they agree it’s to promote economic development that will bring jobs to the region. And both men talk about using a targeted marketing approach to attract new businesses to
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890
the port’s facilities. However, those similarities in their views only go so far. When the topic of taxes comes up, their stances diverge — but only after hitting the same notes in criticizing the much-maligned “stealth tax” the port district passed in 2006 to pay for a new marina in Bremerton that’s never had enough tenants to break even. Their shared criticism is of the SEE PORT RACE, A15